Becky Murdy
Assistant, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: becky.murdy@usav.org
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 12, 2011) ? In celebration of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), USA Volleyball (USAV) has taken another step to continue its support of those locally and nationally affected by this disease.??
On Sept. 11, the USAV staff joined 7,500 citizens around the Colorado Springs area in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in front of a breathtaking landscape known as the Garden of the Gods. ?The common connection of this disease and shared desire to cure it brought the staff closer together and brought all 7,500-plus participants together.
?My mother and several other relatives have been touched by this disease,? USA Volleyball Manager of Region Services Programs Donise King said. ?Taking part in this unified effort helps bring me and others closer to the cure. It was gratifying and moving to see the road lined for miles with people, knowing we were all connected in the cause. I was very pleased and proud to have taken part in the event.?
?I participated in the Susan G. Komen 5 K because of friend, Corey Prentice,? USA Volleyball Coordinator of Coaching Education Andy Pai said. ?I also have worn a Live Strong bracelet for six years in support of those fighting all cancers.?
Awareness and money to cure the disease is a monumental task. In Colorado alone, 20 percent of females ages 18-64 are uninsured with 40 percent of the entire population 40 years and older not ever having a mammogram. The cost of becoming sick is a realistic problem for much of the United States and local affiliates of Susan. G. Komen are responsible for the annual grants given to local programs.
For the past two years USAV has made a strong drive to fight against breast cancer through its regions and now its offices. The USA Volleyball High Performance Department is in its second year of selling blue and pink tryout shirts that participants can purchase with the proceeds going to either breast cancer research (pink) or prostate cancer research (blue). In 2011 alone, USAV has raised $4,200 for breast cancer research and $2,835, which was matched by the Safeway Foundation, for prostate cancer research.?
?One of my best friends was diagnosed with breast cancer this past springs,? USA Volleyball Coordinator of High Performance Indoor Programs Adrienne Edwards said. ?She went in for a regular check-up and the doctor found a lump. It was found early enough that she had surgery and is currently cancer free. Since I can?t run with her on the east coast I ran for her here.
?Before she was diagnosed she was running marathons and triathlons,? Edwards said. ?Now she is running them to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.?
USAV has been a strong supporter of the Side-Out Foundation, a non-profit that encourages volleyball clubs, teams and events to use the name ?Dig Pink? to raise money and awareness of the foundation.
Stacy Poore, the executive director of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliate Southeastern Colorado Region, expressed her gratitude for local organizations like USAV for getting involved in hometown benefit events because finances are delegated regionally, meaning that those that can?t afford treatment in Colorado Springs must turn to the Southeast Colorado affiliate of the organization and not the national offices of Susan G. Komen.
?It is great to have such a well-known name as Susan G. Komen,? Poore said. ?But sometimes it?s tough to explain to people that the money from the ?pink? apparel, food, bracelets, etc., in stores does not go directly to our neighbors here in Colorado, but nationally where they then spread across the country where the highest needs are.?
In 2011 the Southeastern Colorado Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure distributed $425,000 in
?We are very proud of the money we have raised and distributed, but it?s so hard to see the discrepancy in what we are being asked to grant and what we actually have the funds to grant,? Poore said.
The Race for the Cure is the biggest fundraiser for most Susan G. Komen affiliates, especially for regions like Southeast Colorado which are known as ?small affiliates.?
The team behind the USA Volleyball teams that make-up the Colorado Springs offices were able to take a moment away from the office to enjoy a Sunday morning together, learning about each other?s stories and sharing common experiences that involved the disease.
?I have a strong family history of breast cancer,? Patty Fadum said. ?My sister is a two-time survivor. After her second diagnosis she had genetic testing and unfortunately is carrying BRCA 1 &?2 mutation. At some point I will need to decide if I should have the test too, not only for myself, but for my daughter.
?In addition to my sister, I have had six close friends diagnosed with breast cancer,? Fadam said. ?To witness each one?s determination to get through it and not let the disease define them is truly inspirational.?
?Kim Jagd is one of our USAV High Performance coaches and we walk to support her surviving this terrible disease,? Theresa Pingel said. ?We also walk in support of all the other victims who may or may not be as successful in their own battle against breast cancer.?
John Kessel, USAV managing director of region services, is working with Side-Out Foundation special projects coordinator Julie Matthews on two webinars for the end of the 2011 year; Dig Pink Rally Webinar and the Dig Pink Tour webinar that is targeted specifically for club teams.
While the leaves are changing and hunter greens turn to burnt oranges and saddleback yellows, the color pink seems to blanket it all. From the National Football League to local elementary schools, pink ribbons become accents to pink apparel and USAV has jumped right in.
?Though the money is a huge part of this movement it is the awareness and education that we want to share as well,? Poore said. ?We want to stop this disease and in doing so we wear pink hats and ribbons and we walk, run, sleep and eat all things that support the cause. With races like ours and organization like USAV we are one step closer.?
The first year October was named NBCAM was in 1985 and hopefully one day it will become National Breast Cancer Celebration Month, where the disease no longer exists and we enjoy 31 days of remembrance and gratitude to all the volunteers, survivors, fighters and researchers.
?Hopefully by the time my daughter is my age breast cancer will be a thing of the past,? Fadum said.
For more information about Susan G. Komen, click here.
For more information about the Southeastern Colorado affiliate, click here.
For more information about the Side-Out Foundation click here.
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Breast Cancer Facts in Colorado
Southeastern Colorado Susan G. Komen for the Cure
One in seven women in Colorado will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.
In 2010 more than 3,000 women in Colorado were diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 500 of them died as a result.
Breast cancer is the single most common life-threatening cancer diagnosed in Colorado women.
Breast Cancer Facts in the US
NBCAM.org
According to the NBCAM website, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the Unite State, aside from skin cancer.?
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the US this year with 40,170 estimated to lose their battle. Thanks to improved technologies and the incredible contributions around the world breast cancer research is in full gear 24-hours a day.
Today, there are 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the US.
In addition, men can also develop the disease. IN 2010 450 men died of breast cancer.
The greatest risk factors for breast cancer are being female and growing older.
Mammograms remain the best available method to detect breast cancer early. Women are encouraged to undergo annual screenings starting at the age of 40 and perform monthly beast-self exams.
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Source: http://usavolleyball.org/news/2011/10/13/usav-touched-by-breast-cancer-awareness-month/44968
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